Hotel-register.



No. 704,548. Patented lul y 15, I902.

F. C. KLEE.

HUTEL REGISTER.

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No. 704,548. Patented July 15, I902.

' F. C. KLEE.

v HOTELBEGISTEB. (Application filed Sept. 25, 1900.)

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' ATnNT OFFICE.

FREDERICK O. KLEE, OF DUBUQUE, IOWVA, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONAL HOTEL REGISTER COMPANY, OF DUBUQUE, IOWA.

HOTEL-REGISTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 704,548, dated July 15, 1902.

Application filed $eptember 25, 1900. Serial No. 31,023. (No model.)

To (tZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK C. KLEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dubuque, in the county of Dubuque and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hotel-Registers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ap pertains to make and use the same.

This inventionrelates to hotel-registers, and among the objects in view is to provide a hotel-register witha detachably-arranged adjustable sheet adapted to receive advertising matter or not, as desired, and which sheet may be and is preferably an ordinary blottersheet, or it may be of cardboard or other material, the said sheet being adapted to occupy a position between two of the leaves of the register and to be readily adjusted to permit the turning of the leaves or for the purpose of renewing the said blotter-sheet by a new one. Thus I avoid the necessity of providing alternate blotter-sheets throughout the register, thus lessening the bulk of the latter.

A further object is to provide simple, economical, and readily-operated means for detachably connecting the blotter to the register-platform.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. 7

The invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, as hereinafter fully set forth,illustrated in the drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a hotel-register embodying my improvements, showing some of the leaves broken awayrto clearly show one of the springclips. Fig. 2' is a vertical sectional View through the register. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the register-support. Figs. 4 to 8, inclusive, are detail viewshereinafter referred to. Fig. Qis a bottom plan view of a modified construction of the metal supportingframe. Fig. 10 is a plan view of a hotel-register, showing a modification in the arrangement of the detachable and adjustable blotter.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to Figs. 1 to 8, inclusive, 1 indicates the register-book proper, which may be constructed of any desired size or capacity. The said book is adapted to be revolubly mounted upon a support which will rest upon the hotel-counter, and for so supporting the book I provide the following construction and arrangement of parts.

2 indicates a support for the register, preferably of metal and comprising radial arms 3, which at their outer ends upon the under side are provided with rubber feet, which are adapted to rest upon thecountera The number of arms 3 may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention; but I preferably employ but three arms, whereby the support will be adapted to stand firmly on an uneven surface. The support 2 has an annular rim 5, joining the arms, and the outer ends of the arms are strengthened or braced by bracing 6, which joins the arms with the annular rim. This construction provides a light yet strong support. The rim 5 is of somewhat greater thickness-than the arms, whereby the upper surface of the rim will be on a planeabove the upper surface of the arms,whereby to provide an abutment or bearring face, for a purpose presently explained.

WVhile the construction of support just described is that which I prefer, yet it is obvious that certain minor changes might be made without departing from the scope of my invention-as, for instance, there may be four arms, as above stated, and the outer ends of the arms might be joined together by an annular rim 3, as seen in Fig. 9.

The support is provided with a central aperture 7, in which is rotatably mounted a stud or pivot 8, projecting from the under side of a plate or disk 9. The pivot is revolubly secured to the support by means of a washer: 10, held thereto by ascrewlQf. To the plate or ring is secured,by means of screws 12 or otherwise,- a wooden platform 13, upon which the hotel-registeris adapted'to d-irectly rest. For the purpose of firmly yet detachably, securing the register in position on the platform the latter is provided at the right and left edges of the platform with springclips 14 of any suitable construction and adapted to receive the corresponding edges of the covers of the book when the latter is spread open, and thus hold the said book in place. The platform is preferably provided upon its under side with depending strips 11, adapted to reach within a short distance of the counter, and thus providing means for securing additional steadiness of the entire device.

15 indicates the adjustable sheet (blotter or other) adapted for use with my hotel-register. This sheet corresponds in size to the sheets of the register, and to one edge of said sheet 15 is pasted a strip 16 of fabric-such as muslin, paper, or the like-which strip is made into a loop or sleeve 17. This sleeve is adapted to receive a light metal rod 18, the upper end of which is pivotally attached by means of a pin 19 to the head of a short standard 20. The opposite end of the rod is detachably secured to a short standard 21, which at its free end is provided with two hooks 22, which practically encircle the rod. The function of the-standard 20 is to serve as a hinge-support for one end of the rod, while the function of the standard 21. is to serve-as a lock to lock the other end of the rod in place. When in position, the rod lies transversely of the book at the center thereof, as seen plainly in Figs. 1 and 2, and thus the blotter-sheet carried by the rod is normally maintained in its proper position between the leaves.

' Inasmuch as the rod carrying the blottersheet must be adapted to permit of a varying number of leaves of the register being passed thereunder, it is necessary to provide for a yielding or adjustable connection of the rod with the platform supporting the book, and this I accomplish as follows: The standard 20 has a reduced round end or shank 23, which passes through a round opening 24 in a plate 25, secured to the platform by screws 26 or otherwise. To the plate is secured a sleeve 27, which is inserted in the platform centrally of one of the longitudinal edges of the latter, (the upper edge as shown.) Surrounding the shank of the standard 20 is a coiled spring 28, bearing at one end upon a washer 29, inserted within the sleeve 27 ,and at the opposite end against the under side of the plate 25. A pin 30 prevents the shank from being withdrawn through the washer. The normal tendency of the springis to keep the standard retracted, and thus maintain the rod in close but yielding contact with the leaves of the register. The standard 21 has a shank one portion 31 of which is squared and passes through a squared opening 32 in a plate 33, while another portion 34 is annular. A sleeve 35 is inserted in the platform centrally of the other longitudinal edge of the same, said sleeve beingsecured to the plate 33. A coiled spring 36 surrounds the shank of the standard 21 and bears at one end against a washer 37, inserted within sleeve 35, and at the opposite end against the under side of the plate 33. The normal tendency of spring 36 (like thatof spring 28) is to keep the standard 21 retracted, and thus assist in maintaining the rod in yielding contact with the leaves of the register. Now when a leaf is to be turned to present a fresh side for entries it is first necessary to remove the blotter from its position, (seen in Figs. 1 and 2,) and this is readily accomplished by raising the standard 21 sufficiently to cause the squared part of its shank to free the opening in plate 33, and the annular part of said shank is then turned to permit of the end of rod 18 being released from the catches thereof, and the rod is then turned up to allow the leaf to be turned or to permit the old blotter being slipped off of the rod and a fresh blotter substituted. Either of these purposes being accomplished, the end of the rod is again inserted between the catches of standard 21 and the latter permitted to be retracted into its normal position by its coil-spring. It will be noted that by the construction of the standard 20 and its yielding connection with the platform the said standard and the corresponding end of the rod will be permitted to yield to accommodate additional leaves beneath the rod.

As shown in Fig. 2, the under side of the ring or plate 9 bears upon the upper abutting surface of the rim 5 of the support 2, and thus prevents the sagging of the register and the platform and plate to one side or the other when the register is'subjected to hard usage.

In Fig. 9 I showa slight modification in the construction of the metal supporting-frame, wherein the latter comprises the four arms 2, joined by an outer annular rim 3.

In Fig. 10 I show a modified arrangement of the blotter, its supporting-rod, and cooperating parts. In this arrangement the standards 20' and 21, similar to the standards 20 and 21, are arranged on the platform 13, longitudinally thereof-that is to say, near the upper edge at points near the right and left hand edgesand the blotter-sheet 15, carried by the rod 18, is of awidth corresponding to that of one of the leaves of the book, and in use the blotter is simply folded down to lie opposite that page of the register which is being used. When it is desired to turn a leaf, the blotter is simply raised, the leaf turned, and the blotter folded back again. The blotter can be readily slid along the rod when it is desired to use that page of the register upon which the blotter may have been lying. For replacing the blotter-sheet by a fresh one the operation is similar to that described with reference to the arrangement seen in Figs. 1 and 2.

13 represents two spring-clips arranged upon opposite sides of the platform and secured thereto for the purpose of retaining the register in a relatively permanent position thereon.

What 1 claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. The combination with a supporting plate or platform, of a rod having a pivotal connection at one end with the platform, a locking device carried by the platform and constructed to detachably lock the other end of the rod and means to permit the rod to have a yielding movement perpendicularly to the platform.

2. The combination with a supporting plate or platform, of a rod adapted to lie transversely across a book laid upon the platform, a short standard carried by the platform and to which oneend of the rod is pivotallyconnected, a second short standard carried by the platform and constructed to detachably lock the other end of the rod, and a yielding connection between the said standards and the platform to permit the rod to have a yielding movement perpendicularly to the platform.

3. The combination with a supporting plate or platform, of a rod, a short standard carried by the platform and to which one end of the rod is pivotally connected, a rotatable short standard carried by the platform and having its upper end constructed to form hooks for detachably locking the other end of the rod.

4. The combination with a supporting plate or platform, of a short standard, a rod having one end pivotally connected with the said standard, a'spring arranged to act upon said standard to normally retract the same, a second short standard constructed to detachably engage and lock the other end of the rod, and a spring arranged to act upon thelatter standard to normally retract the same.

5. The combination with a supporting plate or platform for a book, of plates secured thereto at opposite sides, the one having a round and the other a squared aperture, a sleeve carried by each plate and inserted within the platform, short standards, the one having a round shank and the other a squared shank with respective round and squared portions extending through the apertures and within the sleeves, one of said standards being constructed at its upper end with hooks, coiled springs arranged to normally retract the standards, and a rod pivoted at one end to one of the standards, and its other end adapted to be engaged by the hooks of the other standard.

6. The combination with a supporting plate or platform, of a rod having a pivotal connection at one end with the platform, means for detachably locking the other end of the rod, means to permit the rod to have a yielding movement perpendicularly to the platform, and a sheet provided at one edge with a loop or sleeve through which latter the rod loosely passes, said sleeve being adapted to slip endwise off the rod when the latter has been detached from the locking means and swung upon its pivot in the manner set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK O. KLEE.

Witnesses:

W. M. CLEWELL, ALEXANDER SIMPLO'r. 

